Comments by Joe_Paycheck

I think we all agree we need to do SOMETHING to try to get a handle on this cycle of violence. The status quo simply will not work, and responsible gun owners have to help come up with a solution.

My Proposal:A ten year ban on all handgun sales (private sales included) and a 1000% tax on all ammunition sales. The tax on ammo will fund a 10 year study to measure it's effects on gun violence in American society, as well as fund professional Mental Health Assessment resources and State Hospital facilities.

Anyone convicted of Black Market sales of guns or ammo will face a mandatory life prison sentence.

After the 10 year study is completed, if the numbers go down, the ban on handguns stays, and the ammo tax increases to 5000%.

If the numbers stay the same, then we end the handgun ban and the ammo tax. (But you know the numbers will go down)

If the only way we can make any changes in gun policy is through the pocketbook, then so be it.

Dolphin, Surely even you can understand that a "rest stop" is more than just a place to "fire out a dookie". It's a place to reflect upon one's inhumanity to man, or his failure to do those things that make civilized society just a little bit better, or maybe, hell, maybe even remorse for voting for Tea Party candidates. Who knows, maybe there would be just a little less road rage if we gave travelers a pleasant place to park for a few minutes. Maybe you should visit one, sit down for a little while, and think about it (picture Rodan's "The Thinker", if that helps with a visual image).

I never understood why that location was chosen for the rest stop(s) in the first place. Frankly, the entry and exit points are a hazard, especially during busy periods when cars are literally lined up awaiting a parking space. Personally, I thought the area formerly occupied by the Gaviota Village restaurant and gas station was the perfect location for a rest stop. Especially now with the Mariposa Reina overpass that can serve BOTH north and southbound traffic. Then all that's needed is a single rest stop instead of maintaining two, the traffic hazard is gone, and the visitors have a beautiful view to enjoy (save for the butt-ugly Chevron plant next door).

You know what? I don't really CARE what the CALIBER is, what the MUZZLE VELOCITY is, whether it APPEARS like a military weapon or not. If it can fire more than 10 ROUNDS in a magazine, or more than 100 ROUNDS IN LESS THAN A MINUTE, then as far as I'm concerned, it has no place in MY WORLD ! My main goal is to make it harder for the CRAZIES to reload. I'm amazed that the GUN CULTURE dopesn't feel the same. Fine then. Be prepared for a fight, but be forewarned, we outnumber YOU.Sincerely, The Ignoranti.

Thank you, Mr. Fina, for your excellent essay. We need more people like you to engage in this uncomfortable, but necessary conversation.

BTW - I came across this excerpt from a Wash Post article that resonated with me:

The Second Amendment debate about what the Founders intended was clarified in 2008 when the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller determined that the right of the people to keep and bear arms included individuals, not just a “well-regulated militia.” However, as Winkler pointed out, Justice Antonin Scalia’s opinion left wiggle room for exceptions, including prohibitions related to felons and the mentally ill. Scalia was not casting doubt, the justice wrote, on “laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.”

This still leaves open the loophole of private sales that do not require background checks, which President Obama wants to close. We will hear more about this in coming weeks, but the call meanwhile to ban assault weapons or limit magazines in the wake of the horrific mass murder of children and others at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut is hardly draconian. It won’t solve the problem of mentally disturbed people exacting weird justice from innocents, but it might limit the toll. Having to stop one’s rampage to reload rather breaks the spell, or so one would imagine.

One also imagines that the old Reagan would say there’s no reason a citizen needs an assault weapon or a magazine that can destroy dozens of people in minutes. He would certainly be correct and, in a sane world, possibly even electable.